


Homestuck: Past Alternain Nitrons

by ah2190



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-04-26
Updated: 2012-10-06
Packaged: 2017-11-04 08:38:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/391906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ah2190/pseuds/ah2190
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scratching a session should reset the timeline as well as those who are still inside it. However, David finds out the hard way that sometimes the Scratch doesn't work perfectly, as he's flung across universes and time to the universe of the Trolls just before the Signless was to be executed. Now, he'll have to deal with being with Trolls who may or may not want to kill him, as well as a fellow ex-player who shifted sides to work with Lord English, the difficulty of having God Tier powers in a world before SGRUB and countless shenanigens in a Universe which is not his own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Act 0: The Last Memories of a Failed Session

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [As It Should Be](https://archiveofourown.org/works/249477) by [shayera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shayera/pseuds/shayera). 



> Homestuck PAN wouldn't be around if I had never read As It Should Be. It helped inspire the basic storyline which will be followed in PAN. Also, my thanks go to Hussie for making Homestuck in the first place. Without him, this, along with all the other Homestuck fanfictions, would have never happened.
> 
> Note (25th May, 2016): At the moment, PAN is currently on a hiatus due to my inability to get the documents which I was using to make it.

**Act 0: The Last Memories of a Failed Session**

_They say that some sessions are always doomed to fail. It may be because someone will always fail to prototype before entry, thereby making a VOID session, or because of a prototyping which makes the final bosses impossible to defeat. Either way, sometimes you have no choice but to scratch the game, just like we did._

_Our plan was simple: while I prepared to perform the Scratch using the Quills, the others will prepare the Prospit Ship that they had recovered from our ruined Battlefield to flee the session. It was a simple plan which wouldn’t go wrong normally. But then, at the last moment, someone changed their mind._

_As I started to perform the Scratch, she proved why we didn’t quite trust her from the start. The Witch of Doom killed all of my fellow-players. I didn’t know what she had done until I had finished making the Scratch and the Beat Mesa started to rise towards Skaia. I boarded the ship as it went past, none the wiser to what she had done… that is, until she walked onto the deck with the bodies of our fellow Space and Time players. She then unfurled the wings she got when she went God Tier – I do not know how or why she had them in the first place, but I know she gained them when she Ascended. I then realized why she left me for last – we were the only two players to have Ascended in our session._

_‘What are you doing?’ I asked her.  
‘You don’t need to know. In fact, I’m still surprised that you have the Title that you got.’_

_She was right. My Title shouldn’t exist in a normal game of SBURB. It had none of the Twelve Aspects and none of the Twelve Roles in it. As the Master of Nitrous - more properly known as the Guide of Speed, but I prefered it to be called Master of Nitrous because it sounded cooler - I was like an outsider, but yet I was a good co-leader, helping my friends out the best that I could. The Nitrous Energy that my Aspect gave me allowed me to speed up my reflexes and moves, as well as those of my allies. But the Nitrous Energy proves to be a good weapon, too – through the enhanced speed it provides me, I can create tornados or even shockwaves. If we were able to fight the Black King, it would have been useful._

_‘Well, you are either going to try and kill me – which would make me not die a Heroic or Just death – or you are going to make sure that the Scratch resets me, too?’ I asked._  
‘Both and neither. You see, someone chose me to do His bidding, and He promised that, if I manage to prevent you guys from escaping the effects of the Scratch, that He’ll make me His right-hand woman.’  
‘And who would that person be?’  
‘I would tell you, but what’s the point? Besides, He is already here.’ 

_I realized exactly who she was on about. The rumors stated of a time-traveling demon whose sole purpose is to eat up universes. His life begins when the Universe ends and He can’t be killed by normal means. I could feel his cueball eyes staring at me, but I didn’t turn around. He would always make sure that I was directly between Him and the Witch of Doom, and I didn’t want to turn my back for a second on her._

_‘Anyway, enjoy your last moments before the Scratch wipe your memories, baby.’ She then vanished in a flash of green light, and then the stare stopped. I hated it when she called me 'baby' - I never even liked her in the first place, and now she uses her last words to me to tell me indirectly that she LOVES me? I just can't believe it.  
_

_I turned towards Skaia, and watched as the Beat Mesa passed the wreckage of Prospit, ruined just under a day ago thanks to the actions of Jack Noir. The last thing I thought of before Skaia flashed white – the last thing I would remember thinking of before the Scratch – was ‘where did it all go wrong?’_

_I wouldn’t find the answer to that question for a long time, if at all._

**~ End of Act 0: The Last Memories of a Failed Session ~**


	2. Act 1, Chapter 1: Prisoner

**Act 1: Stuck on the Battleship Condensation**

My name is David Greter, and I’m in deep poop. My memories are all but wiped, except for a few key ones. My 13th birthday, when I got my first honorary placronym. My 18th birthday, when I finally became a man. The time when I finished college, and moved on to university. And then, that fateful day when I played SBURB. My memories of SBURB and of my Session are fussy at best. I only really remember Entering the game, Ascending to the God Tiers, and when I chose to scratch the session with the help of my fellow players.

But that’s not the worst thing. You see, I’ve only just awoken, to find myself in some sort of lab. My body is bound to some sort of table, and there are tubes connected to different parts of my body. I noticed that most of the tubes that I could see were carrying a red liquid – most likely my blood. But the strange thing is that sometimes, I would see some neon green mixed in with the red. My whole body feels limp, and not only that, I could hear some voices in a tongue that I do not understand. I slowly move my head to try and get a better look at where I am, when I heard a yelp.

Apparently, someone was watching me at the time, because quickly I saw a couple of humanoid beings appearing from the edge of my vision. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but I notice that apart from the light grey skin and horns – of which each of them have somewhat different horns compared to each other – they looked exactly like humans. One of the humanoids stared into my eyes, giving me a good chance to study his – or her – face. Apart from what I had already spotted about them, I noticed that this being has ears shaped like fins, and his – or her - eyes were yellow with a black pupil.  The being then leaned up, and said something to one of the others. And then, my mind was filled by a voice speaking in the same tongue as the others. The first thing that came to mind was, /What are you guys doing?/ which, although I didn’t say it out loud, caused one of the beings to gasp. Whoever it was then talked to one of the others, but he or she she did say some words that I recognized – in fact, he or she repeated exactly what I had thought. More words which I couldn’t understand were said, and then one of them shouted something at one of the others.

A few minutes later, I heard the rattle of chains as what looked like a prisoner was brought in. More words were barked, this time at the prisoner, who sighed and nodded his or her head. And then the next words from his mouth I could understand clearly. “Who are you?”

My mind raced. I wasn’t sure if I should tell this person or not, but in the end, I decided to chance it. “David.” The word rasped out of my mouth, but at least I was able to say my own name.

“David, I need to know, what are you, and why do you have both blood that is outside the hemospectrum and also green blood?”

“Human, and…”

I didn’t get the chance to finish my sentence, as the being replied, “Human? Strange… I haven’t heard that word in a long time. I guess that explains the mixed blood color?”

I would had said, “Yes, that is normal for our kind”, but knowing that one of the beings here can read minds, and would possibly pick up that I was lying, I replied, “No.”

The being then said a few words in the tongue that I couldn’t understand, and then got barked at again. He then told me, “I’m sorry to say this, but… due to your blood color, they have slated you to be culled.”

“That did WHAT?!?”

“I wish I could help, but like you, I’m a prisoner of this ship. In fact, I was going to be culled tonight, until Dualscar offered me longer to live in exchange for helping him with you. But now, our fates are both sealed. I’m sorry.”

And with that, the being was pulled away and out of the room. If he was telling the truth, then I was going to die. And, unless my God Tier powers were still there, I wouldn’t be able to revive from such a death. And then, I heard someone honking. The honks were split into a low-pitched honk, followed by a high-pitched one, and they were getting closer and closer each time they sounded. Most of the beings in the room fled in fear, but a few stayed. The last sound I heard before I was knocked out by a club was something that sounded vaguely like ‘HoNk, MoThErFuCkEr.’


	3. Act 1, Chapter 2: Trolls

For a brief moment, I could see the light of Skaia once again, but then I saw the grandfather clock of Death’s Door. This wasn’t my first God Tier Death – once, one of the Imps managed to get the better of me and killed me, but the death was neither Heroic nor Just, so I came back to life. The clock had a single hand which was connected to the pendulum, which ticked between the two halves of the clock, one yellow, and one purple. And, in the center of the clock face, was the symbol of my Aspect. I knew that if the clock stopped on either side of the thin line bordering the two halves of the clock, it meant that my death was Heroic (if it stopped on the yellow) or Just, (if it stopped on the purple) but if it stopped on the line, then it was neither, and I would revive.

As per normal, the clock always make one think that they have died a Heroic or Just death, and then proves them wrong by stopping on the line. My death was neither Heroic nor Just, so that means that my life would last longer.

I wake up to be exactly where I was before I was knocked out. All the tubes that were attached to me popped out as my body fully healed itself, and then, in a flash of green, my clothes returned to me. I was most likely almost naked while I was on the table, but now, with my God Tier outfit (which was somewhat of a cross between the outfit of a God Tier Knight and a God Tier Maid) I was in decent clothes. I sat up – seeing as the bonds were no longer on me as they had thought I had died for good – and then punched the nearest being in the face, smearing his makeup and causing him to drop his clubs which were stained with my blood. I then tapped back into the Nitrous flowing through me – which possibly explains the green stuff in my blood – and with a jump and a roll, I dashed out of the room and out of sight of anyone who was watching before they could realize what I had done.

After putting enough distance between me and those beings, I decided to get my bearings. From the looks of things, I was in some sort of corridor which was completely red. It branches out at some points, and there were doors like the one I just went through with my enhanced speed along the sides. I decided to rest for a bit, but was interrupted by a flash of green from somewhere. I turned towards the direction of the green light, only to find that the Witch of Doom was standing there. She looked much older than when we faced each other before the Scratch, and she carried two needles in her hands – the very same needles that she used just before we started the Scratch.

“Well, I’m surprised to see you here, Master of Nitrous.”

I quickly spoke my mind. “Did He send you here to deal with me?”

“Not exactly. He sent me here to scout out a worthy left-hand Troll to help him with his plans. But fancy bumping into you here, of all places. I would have thought the Scratch would have caused you to be reset along with the session, and not sent to a different universe altogether.”

“Well, that makes two of us, even if we stand on opposing sides.”

“Always so quick to judge. You really need to stop using so much of your Speed… I mean Nitrous Energy. It’s not going to help you make smart choices.”

“Says the Witch who decided to side with an evil demon!”

“He’s not that evil once you get to know him well. Besides, it’s his job to eat up the universes which turn into dead ends.”

“Like our universe?”

It was a wild guess, but the look on her face was priceless. She was so stunned, that she couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Thought so.”

I then turned my back on the Witch of Doom. Beforehand, I wouldn’t had done such a thing, but here, with all those beings around – Trolls, if she was telling the truth – I would rather get backstabbed by her than captured by the Trolls again. However, the flash of green light from behind told me that she has absconded once again, just like she had done many a time before she reached God Tier. Looks like, even though she’s in His employ, she still can’t cope with the heat. I took some pride in knowing that she had failed to become less of a wuss around me.

Just then, I heard some sort of announcement being broadcast by a female voice. It was mostly in the same tongue as the others used, but the last words were in clear English: “I know you are there, David. Give yourself up, and we’ll discuss the terms of your surrender.”

Even though I had never heard that voice, my subconscious mind said that I know who that voice was: that Batterwitch, Betty Crocker. It wasn’t the first time it had said something outrageous like that, but every time it did, it turned out to be true somehow. But either way, I didn’t want to trust her – not yet, anyway.


	4. Act 1, Chapter 3: Signless

I carefully explored wherever the heck I was, making sure to stay out of sight of any Trolls. Then again, Stealth was never really my thing – every time I had to go through a stealth section in a game, I would be really nervous and all that. Thankfully, I don’t remember having to do any stealth stuff while playing SBURB – if I did, then it must be one of the memories that were wiped when the Scratch happened. And then I saw what looks like two guards dragging another Troll through the corridors. I recognized the Troll they were dragging – it was the same one who talked to me back when I was on that table. My instincts kicked in – if I freed him, then at least I would be able to find out more about where I was. I didn’t even think about the danger I would put myself in, as I called out an insult at the guards in English. Both the guards and their prisoner turned around to see what it was, and when the guards saw that it was me, the dropped their prisoner, and charged, drawing their weapons. What they didn’t expect was for me to charge with such speed that I could jump up and boot both of them in the face before they could even get a chance to use their weapons. The sheer force of my blows was enough to knock both of them out cold. After I landed, I dusted off my outfit before walking to the prisoner.

“David? What are you doing here?” He asked, as I worked on breaking the chains that were binding him.

“What does it look like?” I replied. “I’m saving your rear end.”

“Well, that won’t do much good, considering that we are both on the Battleship Condensation. Especially after what the Condense recently announced about you.”

“You mean, that voice that spoke English was the Condense?”

“Well, we call the tongue that we are currently speaking Old Alternain.  It’s a tongue that is all but lost in the mist of time, and only a few can speak it.”

“I best make a mental note about that. Anyway, who are you?”

“You can call me The Signless.”

“Ok… but why are you called that?”

“Because, unlike the others here on this ship, including my followers who are also imprisoned here, I never had a Sign of my own.” He points to his clothes, which were all grey. I then remembered that all of the other Trolls that I saw had a sign of some sort on their clothes.

“Oh… I didn’t know that.”

“Well, your Sign is interesting. I’ve never seen anything like that before, not while I was preaching.” He pointed to the symbol of my Aspect.

“Well, it’s not a NORMAL sign from where I come from…”

Suddenly, The Signless held up a hand, and gestured for me to be quiet and to follow him. I did, and eventually we were in some sort of store cupboard. I could hear voices from nearby where we were – and then a honk just before a scream. The Signless sighed, and whispered, “It sounds like the Grand Highblood is not happy with what has happened.”

We waited for a while until we couldn’t hear anyone nearby before we risked opening the door and peeking out. Thankfully, the coast seemed to be clear, so we walked out and headed down the corridor. We turned round the corner…

…Just to be greeted by a Troll appearing in a flash of green light.


	5. Act 1, Chapter 4: Handmaid and Highblood

My first reaction from seeing this Troll appearing in a flash of green light was to try and reach for my weapon that I had before the Scratch happened – only to find that my Sylladex was completely empty. Great, it looks like they emptied it while I was out cold. Thankfully, I still had my FistKind card, so I could use that like I have done so beforehand.

The first words out of the Troll’s mouth were in English – or Old Alternain, depending on the context she was using it in. “Why are you trying to disrupt the timeline?”

My response was pointed directly back at her. “How would I know if I’m trying to disrupt His plans, when I don’t know how the timeline was in the first place?”

“You have a point there, Guide of Speed.”

I was taken aback when she called me that. “How the heck do you know my ‘shortened’ Title?”

“Well, your old friend told me when I met her. But she seems such a waste of His time. I mean, she stands out like you do here.”

I clenched my fists together. “Well, that’s clearly the case. I mean, do you see any horns on me?”

“Not yet. But you will have some soon enough.”

“Stop playing mind games with me! Who the heck are you?”

“I am The Handmaid, and I work for Him just like your ‘friend’ does. Anyway, we’ll meet again in the future.”

“Wait, what is that…?”

Before I could finish my sentence, she vanished in a flash of green light.

“…supposed to mean?”

The Signless shrugged. “I wouldn’t know what she’s on about…”

I then heard a honk from behind. I turned around, and saw the Troll which I had punched in the face before I escaped. He grinned, and told us in Old Alternain, “FoUnD yOu, MoThErFuCkErS.”

Before I could respond, a swarm of Trolls had surrounded us, all of them dressed in purple clothing. There was no way that my Nitrous would help us escape from this, so I tossed my hands into the air, and replied, “Looks like I’ve no choice but to surrender to you.”

“WiSe ChOiCe, MoThErFuCkEr.”

Some of the Trolls brought out two sets of chains like the ones that I had managed to break off of The Signless. One set went back onto him, while the other was used to bind myself. As they clamped the chains on me, I then said, “Well, there goes our escape plan down the drain.”

“InDeEd, MoThErFuCkEr.”

After we were both chained up well enough so that we couldn’t escape, we were dragged to what looks like some sort of cell block. The Signless was tossed in one of them, but before they tossed me in another, the Troll leading them raised up his hand to stop them. “NoT tHiS oNe. ThE cOnDeNsE wAnTs ThIs MoThErFuCkEr BrOuGhT tO hEr ThRoNe RoOm.”

“Ok, then, Highblood. Do you want us to take him?”

“No. ThE cOnDeNsE wAnTs Me To BrInG tHiS mOtHeRfUcKeR tO hEr ThRoNe RoOm MySeLf.”

“Sure thing, Highblood. And what about The Signless?”

“LeAvE hIm. HiS cUlLiNg WiLl StAy As PlAnNeD.”

“Indeed, Highblood.”

“MoThErFuCkInG dIsMiSsEd.”

The Trolls dressed in purple left, leaving me with the Highblood. And, no matter what I could try, it looked like I would end up visiting the Condense after all. He then retrieved what looks like a pair of handcuffs which he cuffed to my hands, before removing the chains that were binding me. He then cuffed the third part of the handcuffs, which was attached by a chain to the cuffs that were on me, onto his right arm and then he said, “YoU’rE cOmInG wItH mE, mOtHeRfUcKeR.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this was fun to write. Here, we have our first encounter with The Handmaid, another of Lord English's servents. And then there's the Highblood, who had appeared for a short while beforehand. He is one of the few Trolls who's speech has a quirk - for the Highblood, he's both shouting and talking normally at the same time. It can be a pain to make sure that I got it right before saving this. He also uses 'motherfucker' and its variants a lot.


	6. Act 1, Chapter 5: Batterwitch

I walked alongside the Highblood, not because I wanted to, but because I had to, especially as I was handcuffed and chained to him. We spent the entire walk from the cell blocks to a certain door in silence, mainly because I didn’t want to say anything. He then opened the door, pushed me in, unchained himself from me and then closed and locked the door behind me, leaving me alone in the room I was now in. Unlike the rest of the ship, most of the room was colored in Tyrian purple, with the exception of the throne in the middle of the room, which was red. And sitting there in the throne was Her Imperious Condensation. My first thought was to jump at her and try to attack, but I decided against it, because it could end up getting me killed, and my death could end up being Just if I did so. Instead, I decided to show some respect towards her, and bowed.

“I’m somewhat surprised about you,” the Condense told me. “Not only do you know the old tongues, but you have powers outside of the hemospectrum. Tell me, is this normal for your kind?”

I thought about bluffing and saying that yes, this is normal for a Human, but again, I changed my mind. There could be another mind reader nearby. So instead, I replied, “No. In fact, it’s rare for any of us to have such powers.”

“Really? Oh well, I was hoping that maybe I could have…”

Before she could carry on, the door slammed open, and a young female Troll wearing Tyrian purple burst in, before closing the door behind her. It happened so quick, that it took both me and the Condense off-guard. What the girl said next took me more off-guard “Condense! As you daughter and by the will of our shared Lucus, Gl'bgolyb, I challenge you for the throne of Alternia!”

The Condense was somewhat surprised, but sighed. “So, you’ve finally decided to face your fate, like my other daughters?”

“Indeed, but my fate won’t be the same as any of your other daughters. I will claim what is rightfully mine!”

The Condense grabbed her two-sided Trident, and replied, “You all always say the same thing, which is why I always win!”

Her daughter pulled out her own two-sided Trident, and responded, “Well, you must be worn out after sweeps of receiving challenges from your daughters. And I intend to use that to my advantage!” She then dived towards the Condense.

The resulting battle was bloody to say the least, and it ended when the Condense stabbed her daughter in the heart, killing her instantly. She sighed, and then turned to me. “My daughters always make the same mistakes, which is why they lose to me.”

I was stunned, to say the least. “I… guess so.” What I didn’t say was that there was a clear opening that the daughter could have taken if she had noticed it, but in the heat of battle, you tend to forget to look for such things, especially if you are inexperienced.

The Condense sighed. “And now I’ll need to get this mess cleaned up.”

After seeing all of that, I decided to try and get into her good books if possible, even though I still didn’t like her. “Would you want me to help?”

“Well, I’ll have to order someone to keep an eye on you while you take it out, but otherwise, it would save some time. So sure, you can do that.” She then returned to her throne, and pressed a button, before barking an order. She then pressed another button. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

“For you to take off these cuffs so that I can move the body.”

The Condense snapped her fingers, and the cuffs fell off. I went over to the dead body of the Condense’s daughter, and lifted it up. She was roughly around my height and build, but with fins for ears, curved horns and grey skin - a bit like what the Condense must had looked like when she was that age. I carried her over to the door, and then waited.

After a short while, the door opened, and a few trolls in brown clothes arrived. While most of them moved to the pool of blood where the daughter was, one of them stayed by me. The Condense then said, “This Troll will show you where you need to go with the body. And as soon as you’ve finished, come back here. I’ve haven’t finished talking to you yet.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this was the one chapter I was really looking foward to writing when I was doing Act 1. With this, I could finally show my perspective on what happens when one of the Condence's daughters finally challenges her for the throne. But it's such a shame that her daughter doesn't have much time to shine before she gets killed off as the first real death. (David's death doesn't count as he revived)


	7. Act 1, Chapter 6: RaceSwapped

After disposing of the body through an airlock – which allowed me to see that the Battleship Condensation was flying through space – I returned to the Condense’s Throne Room. By the time I got there, all of the blood had been cleaned off, and only the Condense was sitting in there. I shut the door behind me, and one of the Trolls on the other side locked it.

“So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked

“Well, Dualscar wanted to cull you because of who you were, but he had an ‘accident’ with one of the Highblood’s clubs after you made your escape attempt. He’s still alive, but as the Empress, I am not happy about his actions. Once he recovers, he will be reassigned to duties on Alternia as punishment for his actions.”

“And you are telling me this because…?”

“Because I fear that sooner or later, the teachings that The Signless preached will cause instability in Troll culture, and may cause people other than my daughters to come in here and fight me for the throne. Besides, if I die without someone to keep my Lucus satisfied, our race could become extinct!”

“So, do you want me to prevent the uprising, help keep your Lucus satisfied, protect you from people trying to kill you, or what?”

“I want you to make sure that the Troll race lives on, even if it’s only you.”

“Excuse me?” I was confused. I mean, I wasn’t a Troll, so why would I be able to keep the Troll race alive if I was the only one alive?

“While you are out cold, I had some tests run on you, and… well, I believe that you could, with some tweaking to your genes and body, become a Troll like us.”

“I… Well, are there any other options that I have?”

A few moments of silence passed, before the Condense replied, “Either that, or I’ll cull you right here, right now.”

I realized how she worded it meant that if I refused the offer, I would die a Heroic death. “You leave me with no choice.”

The Condense grabs her two-sided Trident once more. “You refuse?!?”

“No. I’ll take you up on that offer, Your Imperious Condensation. It will be… interesting to be a Troll myself, to say the least.”

The Condense smiled. “You’ve made a wise choice, Nitronus.”

“Excuse me?”

“That will be your new name, David.”

Well, that was one way to leave my past behind. “Then call me by my new name from now on, Condense.” I then bowed to her once more – my last bow as a Human. The Condense barked some more orders using her throne, and then I was escorted by some Trolls in Yellow clothing to another lab. But this time, instead of a table, there was some sort of tube. One of the Trolls in there gestured for me to enter the tube as it opened up, and I complied. As soon as I was fully in the tube, it sealed itself shut. The Troll then gave the thumbs up sign, and then another troll pressed a button, releasing a gas into the chamber which made me go sleepy…

**~ End of Act 1: Stuck on the Battleship Condensation ~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Act 1 ends with a slight refrence to 'A Diffrent Perspective', one of the few webcomics that I keep an eye on. And also, this might be the reason why, in the B2 timeline, the Condense was so keen on experementing with humans. Unfortunally for her, none of the humans she had experemented on were quite like Nitronus.


	8. Act 2, Chapter 1: Lime-blooded

**Act 2: A new Troll Life Begins**

I woke up coughing inside the tube which I had entered earlier. I raised my hand to cover my mouth, but then I saw that my skin was now grey like the Trolls. I quickly checked, and noticed that while my clothes looked the same, my skin was grey. I then felt something fluttering behind me, which felt weird. I turned my head around, and was surprised to see two slender lime wings behind me. I turn around, expecting the wings to stay where they were, but the wings stayed behind me. I then heard one of the Trolls talking – and strangely enough, I could understand him.

“Are you OK in there?”

I turned around to face him, and nodded.

“Good. With the exception of the wings, which somewhat confuses us, your body and mind should now be that of a Troll.”

“Is there a mirror that I could use to have a look at my face?” I asked.

The moment I started speaking, everyone in the lab was shocked. One of the Trolls remarked, “It looks like he can not only understand our tongue, but can speak it as well!”

Another Troll replied, “It sounds like that’s the case. Anyway, open up the tube so that Nitronus can have a look at his new body.”

“Sure thing.” A third troll pressed a button, opening the tube, and I carefully stepped outside of it. I then carefully walked with one of the Trolls – seeing as I wasn’t used to how my new body was, I took things slowly – out of the lab and into a nearby room which had mirrors as three of the walls.

I looked at myself, and my jaw dropped. My eyes were yellow with black pupils, my teeth were somewhat fanged, and I had horns that resembled dog ears. I turned so that I could get a better look at my back, and I noticed that my two lime green wings stemmed from two lines going down my back. I willed the wings to flutter a bit, and they did so.

Just then, another Troll entered, wearing lime clothes. “The Condense wants to speak with you, Nitronus.”

“Tell her that I’ll be on my way,” I replied. “I’m just getting used to my new body.”

“Will do.” And with that, she left the room.

After a while of walking around the room and getting a feel of moving in my new body, I decided to see if I could tap into my Nitrous Energy, if only to enhance my reflexes. And it flowed to me, more naturally than beforehand, allowing me to react much quicker than I used to. I then made the trip back to the Condense’s Throne Room, and entered.

“Well, you never fail to surprise me, Nitronus.” The Condense was sitting on her throne and was looking laid back. “Apparently, changing your DNA did more than to turn you into a Troll. You see, we see wings like the ones you now have as a gift given to those who died living a good life.”

“Well, I have died a couple of times beforehand. I guess the beings who give that gift was waiting for me to become a Troll so that they can give me them.”

“Anyway, the wings are said to be made from the person’s blood. And, with your Lime wings, that means that you would be a Lime-blooded Troll. This is good, as I didn’t want another Signless on our hands.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I meant I had hoped that you wouldn’t have kept your normal blood color. Besides, it would have been off the hemospectrum if you did, which would have made you more likely to be culled. But with your Lime blood, it will be easier for people to believe that you are working for me. You see, I often have Lime bloods like you as servants, which for them is an honor in itself.”

“Well, at least that’s one less problem for me to worry about.”

“Anyway, we will be reaching Alternia soon. We should reach there just past nightfall, which would be the perfect time to deal with the Signless. I want you to be there and to make sure that any attempts of a rebellion are either crushed if displayed actively, or noted if displayed passively.”

“Sure thing, Your Imperious Condensation. I’ll be there to make sure that nothing goes out of hand. And, if they do, I’ll help take care of it.”

I bowed, and my wings fluttered while I was bowing. I then left the room, and prepared to pay a visit to Alternia for the first time in my life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked the fact that, now that Nitronus is a God Tiered Troll, he now also has wings, which he is not quite used to just yet. Although that begs the question: why does the Witch of Doom have her wings?


	9. Act 2, Chapter 2: Vast Alternian Explicit

As the Battleship Condensation started to settle down on the ground, I was able to get a good view of Alternia’s capital city. Built half on land and half in the sea, Desre (which has no connection whatsoever with the Kingdom of Darkness in SBURB, Derse) is somewhat of a gathering place for Trolls, and therefore has also been the scene of many murders. As the parade of the return of Her Imperious Condensation to Desre started up, I was kindly asked to change into some lime clothing provided and to hide my wings so that no-one would know what I was. The symbol on the clothes was of an interlocked Alternian M and N, the initials of my new Troll Name: Meister Nitronus.

\- That's my symbol if you were wondering.

There weren’t as many Lime Blooded trolls, but I learned that most of the ones on the ship were indeed servants of the Condense, and therefore would carry the back of her cape as she walks. Seeing as this was my first parade, my job was mainly to watch the others and make sure that they kept roughly in formation.

During the parade, I learned of some of the other important members of the crew and also of some of the passengers. As well as the Condense, Dualscar – who had to be carried by some fellow Violet Bloods, as he was still out cold – and the Grand Highblood, there was E%ecutor Darkleer, who was dragging a chained Signless through the streets of Desre, and Neophyte Redglare, a Legislacerator who was returning to Desre to try to find and capture the dangerous criminal and pirate known as Mindfang, who had been spotted in Desre by a group of Trolls a few nights ago. There were also three other key prisoners of note, which will have their fates decided after The Signless was dealt with: The Psionic, a powerful telekinetic who followed The Signless before their capture; The Dolorosa, a jade green-blooded Troll who abandoned her duty of tending to the mother grubs to raise The Signless; and The Disciple, The Signless’ most devoted follower, whose love for The Signless was once said to have been beyond the four quadrants of normal Troll Relationship. And then, with a fanfare of trumpets, The Condense walked out of her ship, with the Lime Bloods holding her cape. I was at the back, making sure that the others remained on formation as we walked from the ship and into the Condense’s castle. Once the door shut behind us, the other Teal Bloods were given permission to let go of the cape. After they had done so and left the throne room that we were in, the Condense spoke to me.

“For now, make sure that you wear those clothes whenever you are outside of this castle, and make sure to keep your wings hidden until I say that it is safe to show your wings in public. Anyway, you have an execution to attend to.”

“Indeed.” Knowing that I would be watching the Signless die, after all I did to try and save him, was something I wasn’t really looking forward to, but I had to do so. I adjusted my clothes to make sure that they were a smug fit, and then headed out into Desre with another Lime Blood, who was told to show me to where the Signless would be executed.

Once I reached the place where the execution was going to take place, I was greeted by Darkleer, who explained what was going to happen. First of all, The Signless will be tortured one last time, giving him a chance to beg for forgiveness. Afterwards, Darkleer would shoot a single arrow to end his life. Afterwards, judgment will be made on the fates of the Disciple, the Dolorosa and finally the Psionic, and each judgment will be dealt out after it has been decided. Finally, the book that the Signless had would be burned, signifying the end of his ‘teachings’.

After a crowd had gathered, the execution began. As Darkleer had expected, The Signless refused to beg for forgiveness. Then, Darkleer prepared his bow, and aimed at The Signless. The arrow flew true, but just before it hit him, The Signless shouted out what would seem like a single word, but I could tell from my reflexes which slowed down time enough that it wasn’t a single word, but a sermon containing all of his teachings. For a brief moment after he yelled out the Vast Expletive, my head felt like it was going to burst, but it quickly subsided as The Signless died, his message having been delivered for the last time.

Then, it was time for The Disciple to face her punishment: she would also be killed here. But Darkleer, who was supposed to execute her, couldn’t do it. He couldn’t shoot the arrow which would end her life. In the brief period of time in which one of the members of staff went to Darkleer to ask him why, she took the Leggings, the bottom half of the Signless’ clothes, and fled into the night. After this little show, it was ordered that Darkleer will be banished from Desre for allowing The Disciple to escape justice. He was dragged off, and then the person deciding the fates of the followers of The Signless said that, as the Troll who is here in place of the Condense, I would need to deliver the punishments.

The Dolorosa was next up, and it was declared that she would be sold into slavery for not just following the Signless, but for abandoning her duty to keep an eye on the Mother Grub as well. But before I could say anything, one of the sea-dwellers stepped up and put a lot of jewelry on the table – which was worth more than enough to secure The Dolorosa as his slave. I was then given some chains like the ones that were put on me and the Signless earlier on, and I carefully chained up The Dolorosa, being careful not to do it too tight, but tight enough so that she couldn’t escape them. The sea-dweller took her, and then enquired if he could buy me off from the Condense. I outright refused – besides, I’d rather work for her than some unknown Troll.

Finally, the Psionic was given his sentence: as a powerful Yellow blooded telekinetic, he would be ‘enlisted’ as the new Helmsman of the Battleship Condensation. He was chained up by a group of Indigo-clothed Trolls, and they took him towards the ship.

And then, I was given the honor of burning The Signless’ book, which I did so without showing any remorse. But the moment that I dropped the book into the fire, all hell broke loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The execution and the events which happen during it are based on the canon provided within Homestuck, but slightly altered a bit due to Nitronus being there.


	10. Act 2, Chapter 3: JokerKind Weapon

_How can burning just one book bring about an uprising?_ That was a question which I was asking myself, as the answer started to unfold in front of my eyes. A few of the trolls with a red sign on their clothes quickly sprung at me, trying to knock me down, but I quickly tapped into my Nitrous Energy and dashed backwards, causing them to undershoot and crash into each other. One of the trolls with a yellow sign then took off his glasses, and blasted a few of the staff with what looked like an optic blast, but before he could do it a second time, I dashed into him and landed a nice uppercut on his chin. And then, one of the trolls with a brown sign focused, causing a stampede of what looked like white horses to run towards us. However, I quickly put two and two together, and slammed into his legs, breaking bones as I came up with four.

After that, the remaining trolls who were trying to rise up fled in terror. I turned around, to see that a purple-clothed troll was standing there, his facepaint and clubs helping him look imposing. He nodded towards me, and thanked me for holding it at bay long enough for him to come and finish off the job. I thanked him for the assistance, and then asked if the Condense had any further orders for me. He responded that she didn’t have anything else for me to do. I thanked him once again, and then told him that if the Condense needs me, I’ll be having a look around town. He responded that, as it can be dangerous out in Desre, I would be better off if I had a weapon to use. I told him that I’m able to fight with just my fists, as I just shown, but again, he stated that it would be better off if I had a weapon, because most Trolls use weapons, and fists aren’t that effective against someone wielding a weapon. I replied that he has a point, and then asked where I could get a weapon, seeing as I didn’t have my old weapons.

The troll pointed out a blacksmiths store, and then passed over an identity card, which identified myself as in the employ of the Condense, which also doubled as a debit card of sorts. He then told me that the Condense had put some credit into it so that I could replace my old weapons – especially seeing as she didn’t think that neither my BookKind nor my DiceKind Abstratus would be useful weapon choices. He then gives me a Strife Specibus card, which was set to JokerKind, as a ‘gift’ from the Highblood – when I asked why the Highblood was giving me that, the troll replied that, even though I didn’t have purple blood, the Highblood saw me as a ‘honorary Subjugglator’. I decided not to ask why, and instead I accepted the card. After the troll left, I entered the blacksmiths and asked about what sort of weapons that they crafted.

“If you can show me your Identity Card and Strife Portfolio, I may be able to help you… Lime-blooded,” the owner responded. He was wearing indigo clothes, and from the sound of things, he didn’t like low-blooded Trolls in there, especially when he called me ‘Lime-blooded’.

I showed him both my Identity Card, proving that I work for the Condense, and the Strife Portfolio, which didn’t yet have the JokerKind card added.

On seeing the Identity Card, the owner was in shock. “Oh… Sorry, I didn’t know you worked for Her Imperious Condensation,” he apologized, his attitude having performed a 180-degree turn. He then looked at my Strife Portfolio. “Ok… FistKind, I can’t make anything for that… BookKind?” His eyebrows rose as he noticed my BookKind card.

“I know, it’s not the most useful Kind Abstratus in the world… It was a silly mistake on my behalf, when I tried assigning a book to the Strife Deck.” I was telling him the truth there.

“Well, I can’t make anything for that, either… And I don’t have the materials to make a proper DiceKind weapon, either. Do you want to buy a…”

Before he could finish, I put down the JokerKind card. “Can you make anything to fit in here?”

“I… well… How on Alternia did you get that card?!?”

“It was a gift from a friend.” Well, that was half-true.

“Oh, you’ve got one of those Purple-blooded Subjugglators as a friend? Because these cards are only supposed to be for them…”

“Well, he did say that he saw me as an ‘honorary Subjugglator,’ whatever the hell that means.”

“Oh, ok then. You never really know what they are thinking, you know? Anyway, seeing as you are a Lime-blood, working for the Condense and with a Subjugglator friend… I think this would be perfect for you.” He then pulled out a piece of paper, and laid it on the counter. I then had a look at it, and was surprised at what I saw drawn on there. It was a sword, but the blade could be swapped for a trident, a club or even a rifle. “This was something that I was planning to make so that it could cater for all types of customers, but I need to get approval from the Condense, and knowing her, she’ll…”

“Well, I’ll tell you what. If you can make this for me, I’ll talk to the Condense about maybe using it for her armies. Would that be ok?”

“You… would do that for me?”

“Indeed. Besides, if you help me, I’ll try my best to help you.”

“Well, I just want to ask you one thing before I start making it.”

“Ok, ask away.”

“Would you mind paying for the weapon? That’s only because I’ve got to make a living, and I’d rather not risk waiting for you or the Condense to tell me that this weapon will be massed-produced for her armies.”

“Ok, then. How much is a sweep’s pay for a normal Lime-blood working for the Condense, roughly?”

“That would be more than enough to cover the costs of making the weapon three times over. So I’ll accept two-thirds of that amount.”

“Ok, then. Is there enough credit on that card to pay that much?”

The owner went and checked. “Yep, there’s more than enough on the card to pay for it.” He then handed the Identity Card back to me. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a weapon to craft.” He then walked through a doorway into some sort of forge, and begun working.

After what felt like a couple of hours, he returned from the forge, holding five cards in one hand, and what looks like the hilt of a sword. “Here you go. I’ve put each of the ‘blades’ in these cards, plus I also made a hammer ‘blade’ as well.” He then shows me the five cards with the ‘blades’. “And here’s the hilt for it.” He then tossed the hilt over, and I caught it. I then took the five ‘blade’ cards, and put them with the hilt in my JokerKind card. I then checked the JokerKind card, and noticed that the cards were now organized into a stack of five cards (for each ‘blade’) and then a single card next to it, containing the hilt. I then pulled out my new weapon, and the first ‘blade’ – the sword blade – appeared connected to the hilt. I then noticed that there was some sort of rocker switch. I rocked it to the left, and the ‘blade’ changed to the hammer ‘blade’. I then rocked it to the right a few times, changing the ‘blade’ back to the blade, then the trident, then the club, then to the rifle, then back to the hammer and finally back to the blade. I smiled, and put the weapon back into my Strife Deck.

“You like it?”

“Of course I do – in fact, I don’t know why anyone else has tried something like this before!”

“Well, I hope you keep up your side of our deal.”

“Of course I will. As soon as I get back to the castle, I’ll talk to the Condense about it. Don’t you worry about that one bit – I always keep up my end of the deal.”

I then walked out of the blacksmiths, and started to walk back to the castle. But then, I heard a voice calling towards me.

“That’s a lovely weapon you just got. Do you mind if I 8orrow it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, if anyone has a good answer for the question posed at the start of this chapter, then feel free to tell me through the comments. Also, I love how this sets up perfectly for the next chapter.


	11. Act 2, Chapter 4: Mindfang and Redglare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter which I completly wrote before I joined AO3, so these quick updates, which is mainly me transferring the work from the document I was writing it in onto here, will only happen when I write some more chapters, but while being unable to upload them on here at the time.

I turned around, and came face-to-face with none other than Marquise Mindfang herself. I quickly recognized her from the posters that were set up in one of the sections of the city. Knowing that she could possibly cause some problems, I replied, “And why the hell would you want to do that?”

“8ecause you need to know the rules around here, especially as I’ve never seen you 8efore.”

I countered that response with, “I already know the rules. She told them to me myself.”

Mindfang laughed. “Her, telling you what the rules are?!? You must be joking!” She then gets serious. “She would never tell anyone the rules unless they broke them.”

“Well, you’ve got some nerve there; picking on a Troll whose blood color is lower than yours,” I responded, gesturing to her sign. “Are all Cerulean blooded Trolls huge bitches like you are?”

“You’ll learn to regret that once I’m through with you, Lime blood! No-one ever taunts a Gamblignant and lives to tell the tale!” She then pulled out her set of 8d8.

“Well, that’s possibly because I’m the exception to the rule!” I pull out my new weapon – which I would need to give a name for soon enough – and switched it to the trident form.

As the two of us prepared to GRIEF, a crowd begun to form around us. Most of them I recognized from the trial and execution of the Signless – they must had stayed nearby, and/or were attracted to violence like this.  
Mindfang started off by rolling her dice. I scoffed at her pitiful attempt to attack me, only to get rammed by a random hoofbeast which was summoned by the dice. For a few moments, I staggered backwards, but as soon as Mindfang went to scoop her dice back up, I swung the trident head at them, causing a couple to roll away. After they stopped rolling, the trident started blazing with fire, and I used this to help push Mindfang backwards.

“Hmpth. Not bad for a newcomer. But I bet that I can Manipu8 you without even trying!”

I quickly guessed that she would try and mind control me, so I quickly summoned a mental barrier to try and block the attempt. It didn’t stop Mindfang’s voice from entering my mind, but I was able to refuse her from taking over with nothing but sheer willpower. I then switched my weapon back to the blade ‘blade’, and charged.

Mindfang quickly dodged my charge, but then again, I was hoping she would dodge. Besides, I had noticed a certain dragon was heading right towards my location, and if Mindfang hadn’t dodged, she would have noticed it. Thanks to my actions, though, she had no idea that Redglare was about to turn this GRIEF into a two-on-one GRIEF, until she jumped off of Pyralspite and landed inside the ring which the crowd had formed.

Mindfang quickly made a disgusted face. “Is it Rookie Training Day for the Legislacerators already?”

I turned the insult around on its head. “Well, I’m already working for the Condense and am also an ‘honorary Subjugglator,’ so why not get the whole set and become a rookie Legislacerator as well?”

“Ha! You seriously believe that I would believe all that bull?”

“It doesn’t matter if it is true or not, Mindfang,” Redglare replied. “Either way, you’ll be coming with me.” She then unsheathed her cane-sword from her cane.

“You and who’s army?” Mindfang replied, not knowing that something had just landed right behind her.

“Um… I think you might want to check behind you, as I think the cavalry has just arrived,” I told Mindfang.

“You expect me to believe that, Lime Blood?” Clearly, Mindfang wouldn’t fall for such a simple trick. I mean, it didn’t always work when I used it on other humans, and I was talking to a Cerulean-blooded Troll, who would be of a higher rank in the Hemospectrum than me.

“Fine then, don’t. But don’t blame me if you get burnt.”

My reverse psychology worked, and Mindfang turned around to be confronted by Pyralspite. In the mist of her confusion, possibly because she was about to lose an eye or something like that, I jumped into the air and sliced off Mindfang’s left arm with a clean cut from my weapon. And then Redglare used the chance to pin Mindfang on the floor. She pulled out a pair of handcuffs to restrain Mindfang, but then noticed that I had chopped off Mindfang’s left arm, so instead she pulled out some rope and tied Mindfang up. After she was securely tied up, Redglare carried Mindfang onto Pyralspite, and then the three of them took off, heading towards someplace – possibly some sort of court or something like that.  
I was about to put away my weapon when I felt a fluttering from behind me, and a quick glance over my shoulder proved that what I was thinking was true: somehow, during that GRIEF, my clothes must had loosened enough for my wings to get out, and I hadn’t noticed it. In fact, neither Mindfang nor Redglare seemed to have noticed it either – if they had, then they didn’t give anything away from their body language about that. The crowd was staring at me like they had no idea what they just saw. I shrugged, and, seeing as there weren’t any Lime Bloods around, told them, “What, you’ve never seen the wings that certain Lime Bloods like me get from working for the Condense? We’re not really supposed to show them in public, because otherwise you guys may flip out or something like that. But still, we can’t use them to fly around.”

For a moment, I was worried that they wouldn’t buy my story, but eventually one of the other Trolls replied, “Well, if that’s the case, then Her Imperious Condensation must like you a lot.”

I shrugged. “You could say that…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first proper GRIEF of the work, but it's a short one because of Mindfang thinking that she can deal with both Redglare and Nitronus at the same time. And, woopse - looks like his secret's somewhat out now.


	12. Act 2, Chapter 5: Close Call

**Act 2, Chapter 5: Close Call**

As soon as I returned to the castle, I was told that the Condense wanted to speak with me. Knowing that refusing would most likely cause problems, I quickly went back to the Throne Room.  


“Well, I don’t know how your wings managed to get out, but you are somewhat good at telling others what they want to hear, even if it’s not always what they want to hear at first.” It seemed like the Condense wasn’t angry at me.  
“Well, it was either that, or to tell them that I am indeed a god who’s residing here for some time, which they possibly wouldn’t have brought even if I tried to prove otherwise.”  
“Well, when the news came to my ears, already some of the others were trying to get wings like yours by trying to make me like them. It’s more of a morale booster than anything.”  
“So, what now?” I asked.  
“Well, seeing as you have already shown your wings in public, I’ll announce that that is indeed true, and then you can go around with your wings out. As long as you stick to the story, though.”  
I sighed. At least the incident wouldn’t result in my culling. “Indeed I will, Condense.”  
“I also heard that you managed to get some sort of weapon from someone, with the promise that you would show me what it was.”  
“Oh. Right.” I had almost forgot about that in the heat of the battle, so I retrieved the weapon which I was given, along with all the additional bits which came with it, from my Sylladex and handed it over to her.  
“Hmm...” The Condense quickly glossed over the weapon, before adding, “I don’t think that this weapon, as it is right now, would be practical to mass-produce, but maybe I could sort something out which would benefit us.”  
“So... I guess you want me to tell him the news?”  
“No - I’ll let one of the others do that.” She then handed me back the weapon, and I placed it back in my Strife Specibus. “Anyway, with Mindfang out of the way, there should be less trouble here.”  
“Yeah... besides, she tried to take that weapon off of me!”  
“Redglare filled me in with the details of the incident,” the Condense responded, “so, considering her actions, I’m going to have Mindfang judged by none other than His Honorable Tyranny.  That way, she’ll learn what the price is for piracy here on Alternia.”  
“So... do you want me to watch that trial?” I asked, but the Condense shook her head.  
“I rather you didn’t. Besides, we have a more pressing problem.”  
“...And you are telling me this because...?”  
The Condense frowned. “Because we received reports of another of your kind appearing in Desre.”  


I knew exactly what she was saying: another Human was in Desre. And the only person I knew who it could possibly be was...  


“Dang it, I suspect she’s here to try and recruit someone!”  


Before the Condense could ask what I was on about, I was already on the move. I had a really bad feeling that the Witch of Doom was here, trying to get people to join Him. And I had to stop her, no matter what the personal cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be a short chapter, but it sets the gears of the plot into motion again.


End file.
